Great presentation skills help you as a trainer to connect with your audience, keep the energy in the training room high, and help the learning stick. These skills include the manner in which you use your voice, posture, movement, and facial expression to engage participants’ attention and build their trust. When used well, these habits turn an ordinary lesson into one your learners remember.
Quick Summary: 7 Key Presentation Skills Trainers Need
- Body language: Use eye contact and gestures to connect with your audience.
- Posture: Stand tall with good posture to project confidence.
- Voice: Vary tone and pace to keep participants engaged.
- Fluency: Avoid filler words such as “um” and “er” to sound polished and clear.
- Movement: Use the training room space to involve everyone.
- Audience focus: Adapt language and examples to your audience.
- Enthusiasm: Show genuine energy and interest in your topic.
Watch: Effective Presentation Skills Essentials & Introduction
How can trainers use body language effectively during presentations?
Trainers should use natural eye contact, purposeful gestures, and facial expressions that reinforce what they are saying.
Always make eye contact and look at all of your participants.
Do not stare at them, but do make an effort to appear to speak to each and every person present.
If the venue is big and the number of attendees is numerous (let’s say more than 20), then at least look or glance at each section of people from time to time.
A word of warning, though! In some cultures, it is considered rude or aggressive to look someone in the eye. So do factor in the culture and audience to whom you are speaking or teaching, and adjust accordingly.
KEY TIP: Make a point to sometimes speak and use gestures (positive ones, of course) to those sitting the farthest from you to make them feel included.
Also remember to use facial expressions that are congruent with your words. In other words, what you say should match your facial expression so as to avoid confusion. If you are saying something exciting, try to look excited by it, for example.
Avoid: No playing with markers, touching your head, or crossing your arms; no hands in pockets unless it is to show informality and relaxation! A great way to avoid these things is to record yourself at home with any camera (a cellphone will do) and practice presenting. You will soon see the habits you have!
See these body language training activities for practice ideas.
Why does good posture matter when training others?
Good posture is important as a trainer because it helps you come across more confidently, and it can help you project your voice more clearly.
If you want to make the right impression with your students or whoever you are presenting to, it is important to maintain good posture.
Good posture also helps to project your voice better, in addition to making you look more confident.
If you wish to, you can also highlight a new section in the presentation by changing your posture or position. Opening up your shoulders and arms, for example, could be used to express the idea of something starting.
KEY TIP: The key from our experience is that it often simply comes down to practice! The more times you run through your speech or lesson, the smoother and more fluent you will become. The TRUTH is that most great speakers are only the best because they practice and practice. It is that simple. With this in mind, avoid continuously reading off a piece of paper or script.
Working on posture, tone, and movement also helps you build what can be termed communication confidence, that is, the ability to speak with authority and calmness in any setting.
| Good Presentation Habits | Poor Presentation Habits |
|---|---|
| Standing tall with relaxed shoulders | Slouching or leaning on furniture |
| Making natural eye contact with all participants | Avoiding eye contact or staring at one person |
| Using gestures that match your message | Fidgeting or crossing arms defensively |
| Pausing briefly to let key points sink in | Speaking too fast or without pauses |
✨ Use this quick comparison during training to discuss what “good delivery” looks like versus common habits to avoid.
What’s the best way to position your body while presenting?
The best way to position your body when presenting is to face the group, use an open stance, and avoid repetitive pacing or movements that distract learners.
Body language is important, and given that most eyes will be on you as the trainer at the front of the room, any unusual actions you do will easily be noticed and can distract your audience from focusing on the content that you are delivering.
So, when standing at the front of the room, plant your feet, do not shift your weight, and avoid pacing back and forth in the same spot.
Also, be aware that sitting changes the tone and makes the atmosphere informal. If teaching or presenting to a small group of people (i.e., everyone can easily see you if you are sitting down), you might want to use sitting down as a strategy for mixing the formal with informal.
Never have your back to the group (or as little as possible if you are writing on a board).
You can use this nonverbal communication activity to build awareness.
How can trainers improve voice projection and clarity?
A clear speaking voice comes from a combination of good projection and controlled delivery. Try varying how quickly and loudly you speak, and use pauses when you want learners to notice an important point.
I was at a conference recently, and a well-known academic was presenting in front of 100+ people, and, despite being in the front row, it was impossible to make out what he was saying.
Make sure when presenting to project your voice! Also, change the volume and pitch of your voice to add emphasis! If you need to, just ask the people at the back of the venue if they can hear you clearly.
Also, pay attention to how clearly you articulate your words, particularly when introducing what might be new terminology to your participants.
KEY TIP: Also learn to use pauses to emphasize something important. Furthermore, pauses are also useful to give time to reflect and for you to observe participants. Do not be afraid of silence!
Many trainers do, at some point, experience what is known as presentation anxiety, especially when speaking to large groups.
The best way to manage this is through controlled breathing, maintaining good posture, and practicing your presentation one or two times beforehand. Know your materials inside out, and you will find much greater confidence.
For more ways to practice these skills, try our presentation skills activities for adults, including exercises on filler words, body language, and delivery.
How can you avoid fillers and speak more fluently?
A useful trick is simply to record yourself for a few minutes and listen back. Most of us don’t notice our filler words while we’re speaking, but once you hear them, they become much easier to cut out and replace with a short pause.
Fillers are the words we unconsciously use to try and fill in between the things we are meant to say. Common fillers include ‘ah’, ‘err’, ‘ok’, ‘like’, ‘er’, ‘um’, and ‘right then’.
We all use fillers, and trying to avoid using them is not easy at first.
Just grab your iPhone and use the camera on the phone, for example, and record a 3-minute speech (it doesn’t matter what you speak about or how you look). Then play the video back and see what fillers you used when speaking. Keep practicing, and you will begin to avoid fillers very quickly.
Finally, do not rush the end of sentences, and do not be afraid to use an informal voice. You want to sound professional, of course, but you also want to speak in a way that is friendly and warm.
How should trainers use classroom space to engage learners?
Make use of all of the classroom or training room, such as by sometimes moving between different parts of the room, facing participants, and avoiding always staying behind a desk.
Move around among participants. Move around the room, looking first at a group, then another group. Do not neglect any section of the room.
Also, never sit behind a desk (unless used temporarily and as part of an intentional, informal act). You might, for example, want to sit down while your participants are doing an activity or task that you have set for them.
Or you might sit to emphasize something. Generally speaking, though, for the most part, you should be standing when presenting. Also, stand close to the class unless you are using the board a lot.
Learn more about proxemics and personal space.
What other presentation techniques help trainers succeed?
Good trainers also tend to keep explanations concise, avoid unnecessary jargon, rehearse their presentation thoroughly, and are genuinely interested in their topic and show genuine enthusiasm.
Be Concise
It can be difficult when teaching or providing training to find the balance between providing enough explanation and information and giving too much.
Do not, though, go on and on about something and be too repetitive. You can lose the attention of your audience if you do this too much.
Be Careful with Jargon
You will also want to be careful with the jargon you use (or what is known as ‘discourse’ in academia). In different social and cultural circles, we have different ways of speaking in terms of terminology. Even between the UK and the United States, for example, our ways of speaking are different. Differences can include:
- soccer (USA) = football (UK)
- pants (USA) = trousers (UK)
- gasoline (USA) = petrol (UK)
The key is to make sure you are speaking with your audience in mind. Know who your audience is and tailor your speech, if necessary, for them.
For ways to practice this, try our Presenting to Different Audiences communication skills icebreaker.
Practice
The best presenters are the best because of one key reason. They run through their materials and presentation many times until they know them inside out.
That really is the secret! Having interviewed hundreds of presenters, the idea of practicing to improve and become a good presenter was always mentioned as the key to presenting well.
Certainly, a few people (the lucky ones) are born with a natural ability just to be brilliant presenters.
The majority, though, become proficient through practice.
Watching Great Presenters
It can also be worth watching some TED talks to get a feel for what great presenting looks like.
When watching these presentations, observe the pauses at key moments, the way they move or do not move around the stage, the change of intonation for emphasis, the way they use their hands or not, and their facial expressions. And what do they do wrong that you don’t like? Try these two videos:
- Tyler DeWitt: Hey, science teachers. Make it fun!
- Nadia Lopez: Open a school to close a prison!
Show Enthusiasm!
If you are not actually that interested in the topic you are teaching or presenting, TRY TO FIND something about it interesting and show enthusiasm.
If you really can find nothing to be enthusiastic about in terms of what you are teaching, then looking for a new job might be the best option here.
Otherwise, be cheerful, and you will find that this alone can help you win over those sitting in front of you as you speak. Smiling and being happy can be infectious!
These presentation delivery techniques also help trainers engage adult learners and manage nervous energy effectively.
Trainer’s Presentation Skills Checklist
- ✔ I’ve run through the presentation at least twice and checked timings.
- ✔ I’ve filmed myself and checked that my posture projects confidence and openness.
- ✔ I’ve practiced using voice pauses and changes in tone for key points.
- ✔ My slides and gestures will complement and not distract from the message.
- ✔ I’ve prepared a clear summary or call to action to end with.
Want to Build Stronger Presentation Skills?
Editable Presentation Skills Training Materials
Need to train others? Use our ready-to-use presentation skills training materials, including PowerPoint slides, trainer notes, and participant handouts. Everything is fully editable for your own in-house or client training sessions.
Want to Improve Your Own Training Skills?
Dr Valeria Lo Iacono also teaches a Train the Trainer course on Udemy for trainers who want to improve their own presentation, delivery, and facilitation skills.
If you’re fairly new to freelance or corporate training, the course is about two hours long and is split into 5–10 minute videos that you can work through at your own pace.
Workplace Communication Guides
In addition to the ideas above on trainer delivery techniques, you might wish to read more workplace communication tips and guides. Visit our main pillar page on Workplace Communication Guides for Managers.
